Man charged with threatening three people with knife

A Westminster man was arrested late Wednesday on charges of threatening three people with an 8-inch butcher knife, court records show.

Jesus O. Velez, 26, of the first block of Sullivan Ave. was being held at the Carroll County Detention Center in lieu of a $10,000 bond, pending a bail-review hearing today.

Velez is accused of arguing with the mother of his child on Wimert Avenue and threatening her with a knife, charging documents say. Police say she then went to nearby Sullivan Avenue, where Velez is accused of pulling a knife on her and another couple after demanding cigarettes from them.

Velez is charged with three counts each of first- and second-degree assault as well as using a deadly weapon with intent to injure.

Man gets suspended term in vehicle break-in case

A Westminster man received a nine-month suspended sentence yesterday for his role in the beating of a witness who spoke against him and others linked to vehicle break-ins last winter.

Joshua D. Turner, 18, of South Court Street pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree assault but agreed to accept the prosecutor's account of what happened.

In the statement of facts, Turner was linked to five people who also were charged in the assault.

Those charged believed the witness told police of their connection to thefts from more than 200 vehicles in the Westminster area in January and February.

After suspending the sentence, Circuit Judge Raymond E. Beck Sr. placed Turner on two years of supervised probation, and prosecutors dropped other charges against him.

Police

Westminster: Westminster Elementary School on Uniontown Road reported Wednesday that someone cracked a window. Damage was estimated at $160.